As women around the world flee violence and face disasters, they are often left homeless and vulnerable.
Women experience higher death rates, increased gender-based violence, economic loss and loss of education. However, women are pivotal in the recovery process – they are often the first responders to a crisis and play a central role in the survival and resilience of families and communities.
ShelterBox prioritizes the most vulnerable families & communities and empower them to rebuild and restart.
By providing women and families with immediate emergency aid we can help them recover faster. Rebuilding their homes, caring for their families, resuming their livelihoods.
Despite being disproportionately affected by disasters; we are constantly amazed by the incredible strength that women show.
Meet Women Who Inspire Us
Meet Nurgül
Turkey & Syria Earthquakes
The desperate pleas for help still echo in Nurgül’s mind, haunting her with memories of that fateful night.”
Within minutes, the home they built with their own hands and everything they had worked hard for was reduced to rubble.
Before the disaster, she life was filled with hope and plans for the future. Nurgül’s life was forever changed by a series of devastating earthquakes that shattered the world she knew.
For Nurgül, the significance of ShelterBox’s support goes beyond the physical shelter it provides. It symbolizes the restoration of dignity and the feeling of having a place to call home once again. Every corner of the tent holds a special meaning, evoking sentiments of warmth and familiarity reminiscent of their own home. And in the simple act of zipping up the tent, Nurgül finds solace and relief, allowing her to savor the taste of her coffee once more, as it should be.
As I feared, they entered the houses, killed the old men and took away the young girls and boys.”
Apsatu, unfamiliar with the sound of gunfire, instinctively knew that Boko Haram had arrived.
With quick thinking, she gathered her family, especially her young children, and fled. The attackers mercilessly killed the elderly and abducted the young, leaving behind a trail of heart-wrenching screams and perverse laughter.
Her family has been displaced multiple times by violent attacks but found hope and strength in the Minawao refugee camp. Life at the Minawao refugee camp, though providing a semblance of safety, was fraught with challenges. Despite these hardships, she found a sense of security in the camp with her new shelter provided by ShelterBox and resolved to improve their daily life there by starting a small business.
A mother of seven, forced to uproot her family from her rural home, embarked on an 8-day perilous trek to the refugee camp in Baidoa. As a result of a changing climatein Somalia, Nurta lost her homestead to drought and famine. This was Nurta’s reality. Yet, her story is not one of despair, but of remarkable resilience and unwavering determination.
Nurta’s journey to Baidoa was not easy, it lacked basic necessities like water and shelter. However, she and her family arrived unscathed, a testament to their strength and perseverance.
The aid provided by ShelterBox at the camp was a lifeline for Nurta and her family, offering them a level of comfort they had not experienced since their displacement. With a stable shelter, Nurta seized the opportunity to start a small business, selling essentials to her neighbors. She also cultivated and sold pumpkins grown outside her house, showing her entrepreneurial spirit and determination to provide for her family.
Shamsa’s journey began six years ago, fleeing airstrikes in Syria, seeking safety that seemed increasingly elusive. At 70 years old, she stands as a beacon of courage, leading her family through the darkest of times with unwavering determination.
Life before the conflict was ideal. She and her family lived comfortably in homes surrounded by farmland, with all their needs met. But the airstrikes above their house, forced them to abandon their home and farmland.
During the harsh winter, she repairs her previous tent from another humanitarian organization with tools and cash assistance provided by ShelterBox. Shamsa’s new stable shelter ensures her family has a safe and warm place to call home. Her determination to provide for her family is unmatched, a testament to the power of a woman’s will.
As a widow, Halyna has navigated through immense challenges, particularly amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Prior to the conflict, she led a fulfilling life, cultivating her vegetable garden and greenhouse, and providing for her family and community. However, with the outbreak of conflict, her life was quickly upended.
Suddenly helicopters thundered overhead, signaling the start of bombings.
For the next 12 months, they moved from one family member’s home to another, yearning to return to their own but finding it in ruins upon their return.
The winter months were especially brutal, with freezing temperatures and damaged homes leaving families like Halyna’s struggling to stay warm. Halyna received a winter aid package that included a stove and wood for burning from ShelterBox. This support brought her immense relief and gratitude, as it provided much-needed warmth and comfort during the coldest months.
